Best 15 Front-End Web Design Tool Trends in 2017

Web technologies are changing everyday. It is so tough to cope with all types of new technologies as it is moving so fast. New tools are entering every year and the old one is becoming obsolete. On the other hand, front-end web design is an essential part of the web world. Another key point, it is increasing new opportunities continuously for front-end web designer. Certainly, It is very important to know the best front-end web design tool trends.

With this intention, Front-end web designer needs to update themselves with the popular and user-friendly web tool. Here, I will share the best Front-end web design tool that is not only popular in 2017 but also have great possibility to stay convenient for next couple of years. Experts are telling this from their experience. From the latest surveys of the best-using tool, you are getting the hottest tool trends today.

Best 15 Front-End Web Design Tools

Image Credit: Free Code Camp

No tools can guarantee that it will save your time tremendously or you will complete the task so easily, but it’s the trends as well tradition to design most of the front-end task using these third party tools. As Experts are describing this from their experience, these tools can boost your workflow greatly.

Libraries & Plugins:

JQuery:

jQuery is a library of Javascript and it’s trending from last couple of years. jQuery believes in write less, do more. jQuery works as HTML document manipulation, event handling, AJAX support, for creating appealing animation.

Similarly, jQuery is a very lightweight library with 15KB size only. jQuery supports cross browser and works with the latest technology like CSS3 selectors and basic XPath syntax. Furthermore, jQuery works to increase overall user experience of the site by adding appealing animation and effects. jQuery have no conflict with other libraries. Including, you can use jQuery and MooTool javascript libraries together.

In addition, From Ashley Nolan’s Front-End Tooling Survey, 99% of designers are using jQuery as their JavaScript Libraries where 31% use it for all projects and other are using it in their most recent projects.

Angular.js:

Angular.js is developed and maintained by google. It is used to develop interactive single page. Similarly, it is maintained by the community of individual developers alongside google. Angular.js works in JavaScript based development framework to make RICH Internet Application(RIA).

Another key point, Angular.js is an open-source platform under license apache 2.0. It has made JavaScript code suitable for all browsers. It can reload every page without wasting a single second.

Comparatively 25% of developer are using Angular.js for their projects. Though React; another JavaScript libraries are becoming popular. It is being used by 29%. By continuous popularity, Angular.js are doing better than React.

CSS and HTML5 Frameworks:

Foundation:

Foundation is a top-notch HTML5 and CSS3 framework. You can make a Responsive advanced website and web app with it. Besides, Foundation is suitable for the front-end developer who works to build visually appealing websites. Who are handling clients of good appearance lover they can use it without any delay to satisfy their client.

As adding grid system in a website is very important for front-end designer. Using foundation, you can easily prototype various layouts. At the same time, you will able to fit with necessary customization by foundation.

Bootstrap:

Bootstrap is the best front-end web design tools in 2017. It’s an appealing and most popular framework in the web to create an interactive web page very quickly and easily. Bootstrap work with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. A developer can make a visually good-looking web page which is responsive and multiple devices friendly.

Instead of coding from scratch, Bootstrap gives you the opportunity with ready-made code blocks. If you need any animated function or regular things in CSS, BootStrap is ready to get you going within several clicks. Bootstrap provides the facilities to 12-column grid which is responsive as well. Designers will get some special essential components as pre-style components like drop-down, alerts, nav-bars etc.

A lot of expert express their love for Bootstrap this way: if you want to build a super responsive cross-browser supported web page very easily and quickly, go with BootStrap framework without any delay.

CSS Preprocessors:

SASS:

SASS is a reliable and most popular CSS preprocessors. More than 63% of front-end experts are using SASS. To get useful functionality as preprocessors the tool gives you advanced editing options with variables, inheritance, nesting, and mixins with ease.

On the other hand, SASS works with all CSS versions. So, you have no need to take extra headache about compatibility. Similarly, you can use it with all kinds of CSS library. SASS give some advanced feature that can do the whole work very easily. It can help you to finish big projects very quickly absolutely without making any fault.

postCSS:

Though the survey is telling us postCSS is used by 8% designers only, It can do advanced functionality with AutoPrefixer. Equally important, 14% of expert front-end developers are not using any preprocessors to complete their design.

Coding Tools:

Zen Coding (Emmet):

As a front-end developer, you need a hassle free coding platform to write HTML, CSS or others program code. Zen Coding is doing this work amazingly with reputation. Zen Coding plugins are helping to write and editing code so quickly. It’s a modern system of writing.

Zen Coding (which present name is emmet) can do all the work of tags and repeated syntax very easily to perform all your task within short time. It has made very simple in some complex part of coding like h1{foo} will produce this: <h1>foo</h1>. Isn’t it amazing?

Prism:

Another tool I should add when it’s comes to coding, Prism is doing very great for writing code naturally and it’s very easy to use for all of the front-end designers. It’s so simple and lightweight to write the code within a short time.

BookMarklets and online tools:

CSS comb:

Formatting the code is very necessary. Well-organized code increase your professionality. As a front-end developer, you should write clear code that Is understandable by developer with different level of skill.

CSScomb is the best front-end web design tool for CSS style declaration orders. It formats your necessary code spacing, removes empty declarations. Experts say that well-formatted code increase page loading time also. For this reason, CSScomb is used by many experts nowadays.

Browser Add-on:

ColorZilla:

ColorZilla is the most popular browser extension to discover colors. It has some advanced option to find out or play with the color. It comes with awesome features like Advanced Eyedropper, Color Picker, Zoom, Palette Browser, Web page DOM Color Analyzer, Gradient Generator and much more.

Other Essential Front-end web design tool:

Grid.Guide:

Envato marketplace keeps this tool as front-end web design in the first point. Mainly, Grid.Guide helps you to create custom gutters and columns in your preferred grids. You can format grid with full-width web page and also you can import png image as a grid by this tool. Click here to go to Grid.Guide.

Gulp.js

Gulp.js is a task runner. It has been built with JavaScript powered by node.js. What are the benefits of Gulp.js? It is the best alternative of CSS preprocessor or formatting your code. Notably, Gulp.js, the task runner can compare your desired format for final delivery. With other lot of benefits, task runner can check code validation too. Experts are saying, to complete any task easily and correctly you should be using task runner like gulp.js.

Debugging and Testing Tool:

Firebug (Firefox):

One of the most amazing tools for testing any web page is Firebug. It is the best front-end web design tool for experts. In Firebug, console tool finds logging of error and its warning. On the other hand, it can run JavaScript Code.

From the HTML panel, you can edit, copy or create new HTML syntax with live preview. In firebug, you can do the similar work in CSS. Thus Firebug is fulfilling all types of need for debugging and testing all of you front-end components.

CSS lint:

As a front-end developer, you have a great need of CSS lint. Though most of the problem can be solved by Firebug. But a lot of designers love this in the case of CSS bug. CSS lint can find all kinds of CSS bug. It can easily test common syntax of your web page. It can also perform in the set of rules of CSS.

Mobile-Friendly Test:

As a front-end developer, you will need to test if your designed website is responsive or mobile-friendly. You can easily do it by Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool. On the other hand, you can use Responsive design testing tool to do the same work.

What should you consider in 2017 for best Front-end web design tool:

Mentioned above is the best of front-end web design tool trends. Let me summarise this to make it easily digestible for you!

-I will recommend you to try out some CSS preprocessors like SASS and portCSS.

-Start using node.js and npm for playing with updated components.

-Hope you are considering Gulp and/or Webpack.

-Learn about ES6 projects

-Choose a library or framework to make some interaction in your web pages. jQuery are doing better in this case.

-Never neglect the BootStrap too.

Conclusion:

At last, I will say, as web technologies are changing regularly, make sure you have footprints in every updated knowledge. On the other hand, If you want to make a better life as Front-end developer, you have to compete with many specialists. To stay alive with them, make yourself ready to update regularly with the latest trends.